Please indulge me for a moment, as I’m curious if this is actually a common product sold at airports and I’ve just been living under a rock, or what…
Vibrator for sale in Madrid Airport vending machine
While walking through Madrid Airport (MAD) this morning after my Riyadh Air flight, something caught my eye. There was a “pharmacy” vending machine airside, which isn’t unusual, in and of itself, as I’ve seen this concept at many airports.
It’s not like I stopped and looked, but when you’re walking through a terminal you’ve gotta look somewhere, and I must have glanced at the vending machine for a couple of seconds.
I noticed a variety of condoms for sale, which just kind of made me chuckle. I understand they serve a “medical” purpose, but in the context of an airport, they don’t seem particularly necessary. You’d think most of the things in a pharmaceutical vending machine would be things you might need at the airport or in the immediate future, like tampons, medicine, sunscreen, etc. (though this was the Ryanair terminal, so based on some of the stories I’ve heard, maybe condoms are an immediate need?).
Then my eyes were drawn to something else next to the condoms. Not that I have any personal experience with this, but I also wasn’t born yesterday, so I noticed something purple that sort of looked like… you know, an eggplant. Hey, that’s a vibrator!
They were selling the Durex “vibe rocket pure fantasy.” Okay then…
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen sold at an airport?
I don’t usually scour airport vending machines and shops looking for the most surprising product I can find, so that got me curious. Is this some rogue Spanish vending machine, or are vibrators frequently sold at airports?
I’ve often seen condoms for sale in those cigarette-style machines inside men’s rooms in airports in Europe. But vibrators and more? That was a new one for me…
But again, I haven’t really been paying attention, so it’s possible this is actually common, and I’m just the idiot who hasn’t noticed. Anyone have any insights?
Bottom line
You don’t typically think of airport retailers as being sex shops, especially pharmaceutical vending machines. However, at Madrid Airport I came across a vending machine selling condoms (not that unusual), along with vibrators and lube. I’m curious, is this a one-off thing, or is this more common than I realize? If it is, do they sell even more “interesting” things than that, or…?
Suffice it to say that after arriving from Saudi Arabia, this was all quite a culture shock — wine in a Priority Pass lounge and a vibrator on my way to the gate? Dorothy, we’re not in Riyadh anymore!
Anyone have insights on this unique vending machine offering?